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African Artists: From 1882 to Now
As featured in the New York Times, ARTnews, Colossal, Metropolis and New York Magazine’s The Strategist
A groundbreaking A-Z survey of the work of over 300 modern and contemporary artists born or based in Africa Modern and Contemporary African art is at the forefront of the current curatorial and collector movement in today’s art scene. This groundbreaking new book, created in collaboration with a prestigious global advisory board, represents the most substantial appraisal of contemporary artists born or based in Africa available. Features the work of more than 300 artists, including El Anatsui, Marlene Dumas, David Goldblatt, Lubaina Himid, William Kentridge, Julie Mehretu, Wangechi Mutu, and Robin Rhode, as well as lesser-known names from across Africa, with stunning and surprising examples of their art paired with insightful texts that demonstrate their contribution to the painting, sculpture, installation, photography, moving image, and performance art. Advisory Panel : Alayo Akinkugbe, Kavita Chellaram, Raphael Chikukwa, Julie Crooks, Tandazani Dhlakama, Oumy Diaw, Janine Gaëlle Dieudji, Ekow Eshun, Ndubuisi C. Ezeluomba, Joseph Gergel, Danda Jaroljmek, Omar Kholeif, Rose Jepkorir Kiptum, Alicia Knock, Nkule Mabaso, Lucy MacGarry, Owen Martin, Aude Christel Mgba, Bongani Mkhonza, Riason Naidoo, Paula Nascimento, Simon Njami, Robert Njathika, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, Chika Okeke-Agulu, Hannah O’Leary, Sean O’Toole, John Owoo, Brenda Schmahmann, Mark Sealy, Yasmeen Siddiqui, and Joseph L. Underwood
A groundbreaking A-Z survey of the work of over 300 modern and contemporary artists born or based in Africa Modern and Contemporary African art is at the forefront of the current curatorial and collector movement in today’s art scene. This groundbreaking new book, created in collaboration with a prestigious global advisory board, represents the most substantial appraisal of contemporary artists born or based in Africa available. Features the work of more than 300 artists, including El Anatsui, Marlene Dumas, David Goldblatt, Lubaina Himid, William Kentridge, Julie Mehretu, Wangechi Mutu, and Robin Rhode, as well as lesser-known names from across Africa, with stunning and surprising examples of their art paired with insightful texts that demonstrate their contribution to the painting, sculpture, installation, photography, moving image, and performance art. Advisory Panel : Alayo Akinkugbe, Kavita Chellaram, Raphael Chikukwa, Julie Crooks, Tandazani Dhlakama, Oumy Diaw, Janine Gaëlle Dieudji, Ekow Eshun, Ndubuisi C. Ezeluomba, Joseph Gergel, Danda Jaroljmek, Omar Kholeif, Rose Jepkorir Kiptum, Alicia Knock, Nkule Mabaso, Lucy MacGarry, Owen Martin, Aude Christel Mgba, Bongani Mkhonza, Riason Naidoo, Paula Nascimento, Simon Njami, Robert Njathika, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, Chika Okeke-Agulu, Hannah O’Leary, Sean O’Toole, John Owoo, Brenda Schmahmann, Mark Sealy, Yasmeen Siddiqui, and Joseph L. Underwood
352 pages, Hardcover
Published November 17, 2021
211 people want to read
About the author
Phaidon Press
194 books430 followersPhaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional offices in Paris and Berlin. -wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 23, 2022
4 stars, finished
as someone who has little to no knowledge of african art, this was an incredibly interesting and informative read. the range of the art being presented is incredible, all the different concepts and artistic styles adding their own individual and vital piece to the book. my favorites were:
- pg 24: Amina Agueznay's Skin
- pg 36: Clay Apenouvon's Film Noir Cadre Doré 2—"The formless spill from the church altar announced a central motif of this elegiac series entitled 'Film Noir', which includes this work, where the trauma of Africa's colonial and postcolonial histories oozes from the gilt frame."
- pg 39: Atong Atem's Self Portrait on Mercury
- pg 45: Sammy Baloji's Mémoire, Untitled #6—"Although known for his photography, Baloji's true medium is memory...In 2006, Baloji produced a series of composite photographs that show the mines of Lubumbashi as they are now and as they once were."
- pg 52: Willie Bester's Social Engineering—"...perhaps emphasizing the vitality of township life in relation to the type of living mainstream society promotes for its citizens."
- pg 60: Kwesi Botchway's Green Fluffy Coat—"The skin of his cubjects starts with a rich purple pigment as a way to imbue his figures with a sense of royalty, and they are often adorned in jewels, headwraps, and luxurious garments." (mirrors Girl with a Pearl Earring)
- pg 65: Nabil Boutros' Egyptians. The Suit Makes The Man—"In these works Boutros fashions himself as a range of Egyptian characters both observed and imagined, exploring how people communicate their identities—class, social, and religious—through dress, facial hair, and personal style."
- pg 74: Nidhal Chamekh's Nos Visages
- pg 94: Marlene Dumas' Moshekwa—"I want to give him a blue forehead, because I want to give him the night sky."
- pg 111: Modupeola Fadugba's Pink Honey
- pg 112: Rotomi Fani-Kayode's Sonponnoi—"Evoking Babalú-Ayé, the Yoruba diety also known as the god of smallpox, the portrait alludes to the orisha's divine powers to inflict and cure disease, illuminating the fragility of the body during the height of the AIDS epidemic, with the artist's own life cut tragically short at the age of thirty-four."
- pg 127: Gabrielle Goliath's Elegy (video installation)
- pg 152: Nadia Kaabi-Linke's Flying Carpets—"Through this piece, Kaabi-Linke sheds new light on the mythical associations of the magical flying carpet, undercutting the romantic fairytale by setting it against the difficult reality of the immigrant experience in Venice and beyond."
- pg 177: Jems Koko Bi's No Man's Land—"The trees give me instructions and I carry them out in the wood. They advise me and I tell their stories."
- pg 220: Nandipha Mntambo's Emabutfo
- pg 242: Paul Ndema's The Last Supper
- pg 260: Nnenna Okore's Nkata (in krannert @ uiuc!)
- pg 284: Berni Searle's 'Color Me' series—"The spices represent the racial classifications of apartheid, as well as the spice and slave trade that occurred throughout Africa. The works also signify the consumption and commodification of women's bodies—and the power inherent in those bodies."
- pg 294: Mary Sibande's A Reversed Retrogress: Scene 1
- pg 295: Malick Sidibé's Nuit de Noël (Happy Club)—"The timing of the shot, with both dancers having one foot raised, makes the music of the moment almost audible, cementing Sidibé's reputation as a photographer who didn't just capture the energy of his subjects but also of their time."
as someone who has little to no knowledge of african art, this was an incredibly interesting and informative read. the range of the art being presented is incredible, all the different concepts and artistic styles adding their own individual and vital piece to the book. my favorites were:
- pg 24: Amina Agueznay's Skin
- pg 36: Clay Apenouvon's Film Noir Cadre Doré 2—"The formless spill from the church altar announced a central motif of this elegiac series entitled 'Film Noir', which includes this work, where the trauma of Africa's colonial and postcolonial histories oozes from the gilt frame."
- pg 39: Atong Atem's Self Portrait on Mercury
- pg 45: Sammy Baloji's Mémoire, Untitled #6—"Although known for his photography, Baloji's true medium is memory...In 2006, Baloji produced a series of composite photographs that show the mines of Lubumbashi as they are now and as they once were."
- pg 52: Willie Bester's Social Engineering—"...perhaps emphasizing the vitality of township life in relation to the type of living mainstream society promotes for its citizens."
- pg 60: Kwesi Botchway's Green Fluffy Coat—"The skin of his cubjects starts with a rich purple pigment as a way to imbue his figures with a sense of royalty, and they are often adorned in jewels, headwraps, and luxurious garments." (mirrors Girl with a Pearl Earring)
- pg 65: Nabil Boutros' Egyptians. The Suit Makes The Man—"In these works Boutros fashions himself as a range of Egyptian characters both observed and imagined, exploring how people communicate their identities—class, social, and religious—through dress, facial hair, and personal style."
- pg 74: Nidhal Chamekh's Nos Visages
- pg 94: Marlene Dumas' Moshekwa—"I want to give him a blue forehead, because I want to give him the night sky."
- pg 111: Modupeola Fadugba's Pink Honey
- pg 112: Rotomi Fani-Kayode's Sonponnoi—"Evoking Babalú-Ayé, the Yoruba diety also known as the god of smallpox, the portrait alludes to the orisha's divine powers to inflict and cure disease, illuminating the fragility of the body during the height of the AIDS epidemic, with the artist's own life cut tragically short at the age of thirty-four."
- pg 127: Gabrielle Goliath's Elegy (video installation)
- pg 152: Nadia Kaabi-Linke's Flying Carpets—"Through this piece, Kaabi-Linke sheds new light on the mythical associations of the magical flying carpet, undercutting the romantic fairytale by setting it against the difficult reality of the immigrant experience in Venice and beyond."
- pg 177: Jems Koko Bi's No Man's Land—"The trees give me instructions and I carry them out in the wood. They advise me and I tell their stories."
- pg 220: Nandipha Mntambo's Emabutfo
- pg 242: Paul Ndema's The Last Supper
- pg 260: Nnenna Okore's Nkata (in krannert @ uiuc!)
- pg 284: Berni Searle's 'Color Me' series—"The spices represent the racial classifications of apartheid, as well as the spice and slave trade that occurred throughout Africa. The works also signify the consumption and commodification of women's bodies—and the power inherent in those bodies."
- pg 294: Mary Sibande's A Reversed Retrogress: Scene 1
- pg 295: Malick Sidibé's Nuit de Noël (Happy Club)—"The timing of the shot, with both dancers having one foot raised, makes the music of the moment almost audible, cementing Sidibé's reputation as a photographer who didn't just capture the energy of his subjects but also of their time."
October 30, 2021
Good starting point to start an exploration of the African art scene.
I'm glad to see some of my favourites: Roger Ballen, Ibrahim El-Salahi (you can see the painting in the book at the Tate Modern in London), and Colette Oluwabamise Omogbai (the painting in the book was one of the best at an exceptional exhibition at the Barbican in London called "Into the Night").
Very disappointing omission of my favourite African artist, Nelo Teixeira, and his distinctive "Fragmentos da Chicala" series.
(unrelated: it would be great to see a similar book about contemporary Indian artists)
I'm glad to see some of my favourites: Roger Ballen, Ibrahim El-Salahi (you can see the painting in the book at the Tate Modern in London), and Colette Oluwabamise Omogbai (the painting in the book was one of the best at an exceptional exhibition at the Barbican in London called "Into the Night").
Very disappointing omission of my favourite African artist, Nelo Teixeira, and his distinctive "Fragmentos da Chicala" series.
(unrelated: it would be great to see a similar book about contemporary Indian artists)
July 22, 2023
Lots of artists to discover in this book! My personal preference would have been for the book to be orgainsed in some way other than alphabetically. Reading from cover to cover, it felt a bit stylistically jumbled, but as a reference book, or something to flick through at leisure, that'd less of an issue.
June 4, 2022
good book
it wasn't overwhelming or written in an academic sense which was nice
good coffee table book
I felt like I learned from it
it wasn't overwhelming or written in an academic sense which was nice
good coffee table book
I felt like I learned from it
June 23, 2024
Didn’t realize, what a sheltered life we choose to live. Gorgeous artworks.
September 15, 2025
SIX WORD REVIEW: Bookmarked movements, collective, media, and national identities.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews